Some of these players are ranked too highly by Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey default O-Ranks for various reasons. It seems that Yahoo! tends to overrate some players because they have giant PIM production. However, in most leagues, even in Yahoo! default public leagues, PIMs aren’t so significant that you would draft a goon over a more gentlemanly player who contributes more offensively and across multiple categories. Also, you should take into account the relative rank by position and also who is ranked behind the players you’re looking at. Additionally, I’d like to make it very clear that these rankings are subject to be changed by Yahoo! at any point in the future, so make sure you’re cognizant of this and adjust accordingly.
1. Nathan Horton – RW – Rank 32
I actually really like Nathan Horton. He’s probably one of my favorite players out there. I think he’s got potential to be a big time player, especially this season, with Jokinen gone and him having to step into a prime time role. That being said, I think his rank of 32 is slightly too high because there are other players who have a better track record and have put up big numbers already. A rank of around 50-60 would probably be better suited for him. Don’t have any reservations about drafting Horton though; he definitely should have a solid season this year, but at the rank he’s posted at currently, you’re better off drafting more of a sure thing.
2. Daniel Carcillo – LW – Rank 48
Most likely ranked so high because he’s a young guy and can contribute some points along with a TON of PIMs. However, because of the way Yahoo! tends to overrate players that rack up penalties, I would downgrade Carcillo a bit because he simply doesn’t contribute enough to the other categories for him to be deserving of such a high ranking. PIMs are only one category, after all. I think it’d be better to grab a producer who can contribute in multiple categories and then save a spot for a guy like Carcillo a few rounds later. I’m not saying don’t draft Carcillo, he’s definitely got potential to be a good all around fantasy contributor but at this point he’s ranked better than guys like Stastny, St. Louis, Kopitar, and even Mr. Sean Avery himself, the man who Carcillo seems to be mirroring in terms of fantasy production.
3. Scott Hartnell – LW – Rank 55
Hartnell seems to have a really high rank on Yahoo! every season even though his production isn’t as high as some of the players with comparable ranks. He definitely can produce offensively, notching 20+ goals for the past three straight seasons. The fact remains, though, that he puts up a decent amount of PIMs so that helps his rank out for sure. However, when drafting, it would be more beneficial to select someone who produces at a higher clip and then grab Hartnell a couple rounds later after your core is solidified.
4. Patrick Sharp – LW – Rank 56
Patrick Sharp is tough to read at this point. He’s still a pretty young guy and he had a good season last year, breaking out with 62 points and a +23 rating with 7 shorthanded tallies and another 7 game winning goals to go along with it all. His production across multiple categories is quite fantastic if you think about it. There is of course, a caveat, as some of the rank calculation is based on specialty points which can be few and far between. It is really tough to gauge how many shorthanded points a player may garner in any given season. Also, although there are clearly “clutch” players out there in the league who score when it’s most needed, the fact remains that the GWG stat is greatly based on luck, because of the way it is scored. Due to this, Yahoo! even removed the category from its default leagues and replaced it with the much more consistent shots on goal (SOG) category. Sharp could continue his ascent and put up another 60+ point season, especially with Chicago coming into its own as a team, but there are better choices this early in the draft pool that will be more of a sure bet. Don’t get too tantalized by Sharp’s potential specialty points appeal, it’s too unpredictable.
5. Jason Blake – LW – Rank 76
With other left wingers still out there ranked way below Blake like Ryan Smyth, you’d be better off holding off on drafting Blake at his designated position and possibly grab another guy ranked comparably and then grab someone like Smyth a little bit later, taking advantage of the rank disparity. You’ll be better off in the end. You want to maximize production at every single pick made: it’s all about value.
6. Radim Vrbata – RW – Rank 100
Radim Vrbata put up almost 60 points in 07-08 so he’s not a bad fantasy producer but there are still better players that are ranked behind him so keep an eye out for who may be overlooked because of the rankings.
7. Pavel Kubina – D – Rank 104
Pavel Kubina is a pretty steady defender who can put up a pretty good amount of points, but I think he’s slightly overrated here by Yahoo! because of the PIMs he puts up. This seems to be a trend with some of Yahoo’s rankings, giving too much emphasis to certain categories like PIMs and GWGs when they used them in default leagues. Downgrade him by a round or so and you’ll have a better deal.
8. Alex Burrows – LW – Rank 108
Alex Burrows is kind of a feel good story. He had kind of a breakout season last year with 31 points, after only posting 9 points in the entire season before. The guy works hard and is chippy but in terms of fantasy, he’s overrated because of his PIMs. Hold off on drafting him until more consistent and experienced producers have been taken.
9. Dennis Wideman – D – Rank 117
Wideman had a decent season last year with 36 points and 70 PIMs to go along with it, however, like several of the names already mentioned, there are simply better choices that are ranked below him.
10. Alexander Radulov – RW – Rank 125
Don’t be the sucker that drafts the guy who won’t even play this upcoming season. A lot of times if you forget to set your pre-draft rankings and exclude certain players who have retired or won’t play due to injury or other reasons, you may end up forgetting about it and come draft time, unless you’re in a live drafting league, you may get stuck with a wasted pick. Exclude Radulov from all your draft lists.
11. Chris Neil – RW – Rank 133
Another case of PIMs getting too much credit here. Neil is a tough customer in actual hockey, but in fantasy he’s overrated, especially at this rank. He only put up 20 points last season and simply doesn’t contribute in enough categories to be worthwhile until the later rounds. Unless your league puts some really heavy emphasis on PIMs, wait on drafting a guy like Neil until pretty late.
12. Scott Walker – RW – Rank 154
Walker’s always been a pretty decent fantasy producer putting up 67 points in 03-04 and 51 points in 06-07 but he’s also always been an injury risk. Also, he produces PIMS at a decent clip. However, he’s getting up there in age as he’s going to be 35-years-old this season and his potential production is somewhat uncertain at this point. There are a few other similarly ranked players that would be better for your fantasy squad in terms of points production, but if you’re going to draft Walker make sure you’ve already fulfilled those needs and it won’t actually be too bad of a pick.
Be on the lookout for another write up involving players that are underrated according to Yahoo’s O-Rank. You may be able to use these low-ranked high-potential players to your advantage by holding off on drafting them until the time is right and you’ll have yourself a steal. There are definitely some gems out there in the deep ranks. Stay tuned for the list, it’s coming in the next couple days.
Also, check out the Team Breakdowns List for more in-depth info on some of the players mentioned here. You’ll find a team breakdown for every NHL team based on fantasy potential and worthiness for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.
Update (9-13-08):
Yahoo! has since updated some of these ranks, as expected, and have added several new players into the database very recently including several rookies and other players missing earlier who have yet to sign, such as Sundin. Crosby is at his rightful place at #2 (used to be #20) and many other players have been adjusted.
- Horton – 59
- Carcillo – 102
- Hartnell – 103
- Sharp – 79
- Blake – 115
- Vrbata – 127
- Kubina – 130
- Burrows – 132
- Wideman – 139
- Radulov – 143
- Neil – 148
- Walker – 167
I am very pleased to see that Yahoo! has updated these ranks swiftly. This bodes well for the rest of the season, going forward. However, if you were in one of the very, very earliest drafts, I hope you didn’t get fooled by some of the early rankings. The updated rankings are much more reasonable. That being said, there are still some players that are ranked too LOW and are bona fide sleepers purely because of this. Stay tuned for a list of ‘em in the coming days.
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